The Witch and The Saint
by Shattered-Valor
Summary: An alternate take on what happened on top of Beacon's Clock Tower. Planned to have two endings: Arkos version and Victory Rose version. The angst will come in the endings.
1. The Witch and The Saint

**Warnings: Some Language, Violence, Canon Breaking/ AU**

* * *

 _Rage at the heavens all you want._

 _For all the tears that stream like fire down your cheeks,_

 _All the screams that tear your throat raw,_

 _Once hope falters and becomes ash in your mouth,_

 _You will try in vain to inspire hope to everyone else.  
_

 _You'll give all your hope away._

 _None will remain for you._

* * *

 **The Witch and The Saint  
**

 **Ruby**

Each step Ruby took as she ascended the ruined clock tower felt heavier. The atmosphere held a sense of foreboding, as if something wanted her to stop. The young leader of Team RWBY pressed on, ignoring the unsaid warning. _Pyrrha needs me! We_ have _to save her!_ Ruby's cloak billowed in the air behind her as she sped up. Her eyes stung for a reason she did not know.

In the distance, she heard a familiar voice cry out in pain.

"No!" Shouting as loud as she could, Ruby darted further up the tower.

Once she reached the top, she froze in her tracks. A few feet away she watched Cinder step away from a kneeling Pyrrha. Ruby drowned out everything else and willed herself to move. She heard Pyrrha mention something about destiny. Cinder replied with a smug look, one that Ruby wanted desperately to wipe off with a sweep of her scythe. _Move, legs! Move!_ Ruby dragged her foot forward, feeling some sort of force pushing her back. _Why?! Why can't I do_ anything _?! I didn't come all the way here to watch someone I care for die!_

Tears clouded Ruby's vision as she sped forward. The wind whipped around her ears and her cloak fluttered around her frame. The young teen blindly reached out for where she believed Pyrrha to be and held the older girl close. The sound of someone stumbling caught the red-cloaked teen's attention. She looked up to see Cinder glaring down at her while she regained her footing. The woman adjusted her grip on her bow and nocked another arrow.

Teary but determined pools of silver clashed with smouldering amber eyes. " _You_ again?"

"Leave my friend alone!" Ruby warned with a sob.

"Do you think you can change destiny so easily, _child_?" Cinder hissed as she approached the kneeling girl. "You can't even scratch the surface of what's truly going on here!"

Ruby tightened her grip on Pyrrha, who had fallen unconscious. "I _don't_ care!" _At least, not at the moment..._

Cinder stopped her advance to curiously peer down at the red-cloaked girl. "Oh?"

"I just..." A choked sob left Ruby's lips. "LEAVE PYRRHA ALONE! I won't stand idly by on the sidelines and watch you kill my friend like this, not when I have the power to stop it!"

"She is destined-"

"You can take your 'destiny' and shove it where the sun doesn't shine!" Ruby's eyes glinted as tears streaked down her cheeks.

Sneering, the woman in red raised her bow and arrow. The arrow's tip pointed toward the center of Ruby's forehead. Meanwhile, the young teen gently set her friend down and wiped away her tears. New ones still flowed from her eyes to replace those that disappeared. She quickly stood up, unfolded her scythe, and met Cinder's gaze. The woman repositioned her aim and released the nocked arrow. **Twang!** A brief moment of shock appeared in Ruby's eyes before she replaced it with sheer determination. **Whoosh!**

"Get back here!" Cinder growled out through clenched teeth; her displeasure evident in her eyes and tone.

Reappearing in a haze of rose petals, Ruby struck out at the woman with her scythe. The woman easily dodged the attack and summoned her glass swords into her hands. She fell into a fighting stance as her hands took on a harsh, orange glow. Ruby landed on her feet and turned to face the woman once more. The teen slammed her scythe into the floor and aimed the barrel of her gun at the witch. Above the two fighters, the dragon Grimm roared into the heavens.

* * *

 **Sun**

Pacing around the stone path, the monkey Faunus spared a glance at the four teens resting nearby. Blake kept her hand tightly wrapped around Yang's. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she continued to murmur apologies to the unconscious blonde. _Yang will pull through... I hope Blake won't do anything drastic or stupid._ Sun turned his gaze towards Beacon's broken clock tower. _Her teammates are idiotic enough already._ He tightened his grip on his staff and struck down an incoming Beowolf.

"This is insane..." He wiped a bead of sweat off of his forehead. "We're going to lose ground if we stay here any longer!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Sun noticed Ren struggle to stand. "We are _not_ leaving without the others!"

"Do you _want_ to die here?" The blond snapped back, smacking another Beowolf behind him in the face. "It's always extremes with you guys, isn't it? Either you fight and die or run and live."

"The other students made their choice and we made ours." Nora chimed in, her voice uncharacteristically somber. "Funny how the other 'huntsmen-and-huntresses-in-training' fled from the very creatures we've trained ourselves to fight."

Sun scoffed, transformed his staff into his gun-chucks, turned his back to the others, and shot down the rest of the Beowolf pack. "There wouldn't have been a damn point! There were too many to-"

"They still should've tried!" Nora shouted back as one of her grenades collided with a faraway Ursa. "We all knew the dangers of becoming huntsmen and huntresses. At least...at least more people could've been saved if everyone tried fighting back instead of running absolutely scared shitless!"

Forcing his mouth into a thin line, the monkey Faunus continued to fight off approaching Grimm. **Pa-BOOM! Pa-BOOM!** His eyes kept flicking over to the pink explosions that occurred in the distance as he struck down Grimm after Grimm. **Pa-pa-taa-taa! Pa-pa-taa-taa!** Off to Sun's left, a Creep went down thanks to Ren's supporting fire. _They're down, but they're never out of the game, huh?_ Striking down another Grimm, the monkey Faunus turned to look at the four teens once again.

He watched as some Atlesian soldiers delicately picked Yang and Blake off of the ground. They placed the two girls on stretchers and hurried onto a nearby transport. Other soldiers approached the two teens from Team JNPR. Nora struggled out of the men's grasp, while Ren weakly pushed away their persistent offers of help. Finally tired of their stubbornness, the soldiers grabbed onto the teens and guided them onto a transport.

"Hey, you!" A soldier called out to Sun. "Everyone needs to get on the transports!"

Sparing a look back up at the tower, the monkey Faunus furrowed his brow. _You guys better come back..._ The Atlesian yelled for him to pick up his pace. _We can't wait forever._ His eyes caught sight of a lone crow flying overhead. For whatever reason, the sight helped Sun's nerves calm down. Turning away from the tower, the blond rushed into a transport. Before the doors closed, he continued to gaze at the ruined clock tower.

 _Get out of there soon. We're all waiting for you._

* * *

 **Ruby**

Panting from all the effort to keep up with the woman, Ruby fell onto one knee. Ahead of her, Cinder summoned her bow into her hands and nocked yet another arrow. _Is this it?_ Time seemed to slow down around the young teen. The silver-eyed girl stared up at the blackened skies. _Yang, Blake, Weiss... Ren and Nora... Jaune... Dad and Uncle Qrow..._ _Pyrrha..._ Her eyes trailed over to Pyrrha. At the sight of her friend lying unconscious on the floor, Ruby felt her blood boil once more. _Yang, Blake, Ren, and Nora are hurt because of Cinder's plans... Jaune is who-knows-where! My partner is fighting alone at the bottom of this tower! And Pyrrha...!  
_

 **Twang!** Silver eyes snapped towards the incoming glass arrow. **Whoosh!** As she disappeared in a swirl of rose petals, Ruby felt invigorated once more. _We're not done here until_ I _say so. Forget Cinder's ideas about_ 'destiny.' _I'll rewrite Pyrrha's and everyone else's destiny; I don't care what it'll cost me!_ White hot tears streaked down Ruby's face. Each tear felt like fire on her skin; a fire borne of her passion. _No one else will get hurt so long as_ I _stand!_ Everywhere Ruby looked became bathed in a brilliant white light. **T** **wang!**

The glass arrow grazed Ruby's shoulder, but she paid it no mind. Her focus remained solely on Cinder's eyes as she rushed forward with a cry. Pain burst into her head as she spun around on her heel. **Clang! Clink-clink! Clang! Clang!** **Schlick.** Once she slowed down in her attack, Ruby gazed at Cinder once again. Fear, anger, and shock appeared in the witch's gaze. Her lips parted for an unvoiced question as she stumbled away from the young teen. A dark shade of red appeared on the woman's torso. **Whoosh!** In a flash, Ruby appeared right in front of the witch and smacked her in the side with the blunt end of her scythe.

Again, the dragon Grimm roared above them. It sounded like a scream of pain the second time around. The dragon perched itself on the side of the ruined tower; it snarled in Ruby's direction. Ruby snapped her attention at the dragon and glared. It lowered its jaw and thrust its head forward. **FWOOM.** One of the dragon's teeth came to a stop merely a millimeter away from Ruby's face. The red-cloaked girl rubbed her temple with her right hand as she looked over at Cinder once again.

Yet again, the woman prepared an arrow and aimed at the girl. _Hasn't she figured out that I'll only dodge it?_ The fiery tears streaming down Ruby's face suddenly stopped burning. Everything returned to their normal colors. **Thhiiss-pk!** A cracked, soft red glow emitted from Ruby's body. _Oh no..._ Shocked silver eyes clashed with angered amber pools for one last time. **Twang! Schlick!** Pain erupted somewhere in Ruby's torso and in her head as she stumbled backwards. Her eyes focused over onto Pyrrha's prone form yet again. Ruby collapsed onto her back; the pain in her torso and her head spread throughout her entire frame. Soon, her vision swam out of focus and into darkness.

 _I never got to say goodbye._

* * *

 **I really wish we could've seen what Ruby did after her eyes took on that white wing glow. I wish a lot of things happened differently. I hoped that Pyrrha would've survived the end, that the students of Beacon would kick themselves in the rear and remember the fact that they've trained to fight Grimm; that they'd fight back like the huntsmen-and-huntresses they want to be. Granted, that would've taken more time to animate with background characters fighting creatures of Grimm, but still. Did all that training really amount to nothing but their metaphorical tails behind their legs? (Unless they're Faunus, of course).**

 **I'm not angry, I'm just...numb, I suppose. Anyway I wonder what Volume 4 will bring and what or who it will take away. We've got "Team RJNR" heading to Haven with Qrow watching over them. (Personally, I'd like to call them LAVR; makes me think lavender and follows the color rule more, in my opinion). Back to my theory rant, it really felt like they took cues from The Oz books. The wizard disappears and the scarecrow takes his place...for the time being.**

 **tl;dr: Vol. 3 Ep. 12 was...something and it got me thinking about what happened and what might happen.**

 **Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the 'endings' of this AU idea. A Victory Rose ending and an Arkos ending (that many wished for so badly, including myself)? Is that alright? I mean, that's what I planned on doing. They'll be in separate timelines, of course.  
**


	2. The Heart of a Would-Be Hero

**Warnings: Some Language, HEAVY Canon Breaking/ AU**

* * *

 _Out of love, I leave thee behind._

 _Mine heart would break,_

 _If I saw thine blood spilt on the floor._

 _No matter what toils endured,_

 _Or what spoils gained,_

 _Know that mine heart belongs to thee._

 _Out of love, I wouldst break mine own bones._

 _Out of love, I wouldst suffer any torture._

 _Out of love, I wouldst die for thee._

 _Mine heart is thine,_

 _Mine life is thine._

* * *

 **The Heart of a Would-be Hero  
**

 **Jaune**

Sitting beside Pyrrha's bed, Jaune kept focusing on her face. _After everything that's happened..._ Tears pricked the corners of his eyes. Jaune grasped one of Pyrrha's hands in both of his. _She looks so peaceful._ Teary sapphire eyes gazed out the nearby window. Strong maple trees with splotches of red-orange leaves greeted him. _Thanks to Ruby and her uncle...Pyrrha gets to see another day._ We _get another day, together._ Refocusing on the redhead once more, Jaune tightened his grip on her hand. _Thank God, you're still here._ He choked out a sob.

The blond fell out of his seat and onto his knees. He blubbered nonsense as everything that happened came to mind. _She's still here! She's still alive!_ Jaune's chest heaved as he hastily inhaled and breathed out in another sob. He rested his forehead against Pyrrha's hand and closed his eyes. Every breath he took shuddered his shoulders. _You cared about me so much... So, so much..._ The blond reopened his eyes and peered up at Pyrrha's face once again. _I didn't even know until..._

"I swear, on my honor as an Arc, you will never face another battle on your own." Jaune kept his hands wrapped around Pyrrha's limp hand and stood up. "I'll become a better fighter, a better leader... _a better man_ so that you'll never end up in this position ever again."

 **Click.** Jolting to attention, the blond let go of Pyrrha and turned to face the other visitor. To his surprise, Ruby stood there with a vase of daisies. The two leaders stared at each other in silence. Teary sapphire eyes calmly met with understanding silver pools. Jaune noticed the red-cloaked girl's shaking shoulders as she held out the vase. _She's still hurt!_ The blond smiled at her and quickly took the vase out of her hands. _Leave it to Ruby to care more about others than herself._

"How is she?" Ruby limped her way around Pyrrha's bed and stood near the window.

Jaune placed the vase of daisies on the bedside table. "She's still asleep. I guess her body knows that she'll need a lot of rest of from here on out. Especially after the surgery on her heel."

Ruby's eyes darkened. "Cinder's glass arrow hit her there and shattered after impact, didn't it?"

The blond sent the younger teen a curious look, "Ruby?"

"...Sorry." Shaking her head, Ruby managed to send him a weak smile. "I didn't mean to bring up something as sensitive as that."

Jaune nodded, his gaze focused on Pyrrha once again. _Why do I get the feeling that Ruby's up to something?_ He sent the younger girl a sideways glance. _If it has anything to do with Cinder..._ The blond rested a hand on top of Pyrrha's once more. _If Ruby is planning on finding a way to get back at the_ bitch _who did this..._ He wiped the tears out of his eyes and furrowed his brow.

 _I want to be there to bring Cinder down._

* * *

 **Ruby**

Seeing Jaune in thought, Ruby looked over at her unconscious friend. She felt the corners of her lips falter as she tried to smile _._ _Thank God she's alive..._ The young teen balled her right hand into a fist. _Cinder is going to pay dearly for hurting everyone._ Ruby closed her eyes, limped out of the room, and headed back to her own room. _When I'm feeling better, I'm heading for Haven. Cinder's version of 'destiny' will have a lot to answer for!_

Once she opened the door, Ruby paused her thoughts. Silver eyes rested on another vase, this one filled with sunflowers. _Time to deliver Yang's new flowers._ _I hope she'll talk to me today..._ She rolled her shoulders back and hefted the vase into her arms. Groaning, she felt her muscles strain in protest to the added weight, no matter how little it was. _Whatever I did on top of the tower...it's still affecting me_ _._ Pushing the pain out of her mind, the young girl hobbled back into the hall and to her sister's room.

"Morning, Yang."

Yet again, Yang's head turned away from her. _Sis..._ Slowly approaching her bedside, the younger sister placed the vase on the table. She stepped back and held her arms behind her back. The older girl continued to stare out the window. Her thoughts probably focused on the negative turn her life took since the Battle of Beacon. _I wonder if the others visited her already..._

"Pyrrha's still sleeping." Ruby kept her tone light in hopes of bringing up her sister's mood. "I never took her for someone who liked sleeping in, you know?"

"..."

 _Please, talk to me._ "Dad's being really nice about all this too. I mean, housing all of our friends while they recover? That's a whole lot better than a lonely hospital room, right?"

"..."

Tears threatened to spill out of Ruby's eyes and she struggled to keep her voice from breaking. "P-Professor Goodwitch and some of the o-others stopped by the other d-day. E-even with B-Beacon gone, they still care about their s-students. Isn't that nice?"

"..."

 _I guess she's not up to it today._ Bowing her head, the younger sister slowly backed out of the room. _I hate this... I hate the fact that Cinder and her plans did this to my big sister! I hate that Blake blames herself because of Yang's pain! The White Fang came to Beacon because of Cinder, not Blake!_ Ruby's shoulders trembled as she held in her sobs. She looked up at her sister once again and stopped at the door.

"I love you, Sis."

"..."

 **Click.** Frowning, Ruby turned away from the closed door as some tears escaped from her eyes. _I can't help my big sister... Nothing I do will make her respond, ever._ Angrily wiping the tears away, Ruby straightened her posture and headed out the front door. _I need some air._ _I need to do something other than stick around in here._ Despite seeing her friends around her, Ruby felt alone. The chill which took over her heart and invaded her thoughts; its origins, she assumed, came about due to Cinder and wohever else she worked with. All the warmth and joy of camaraderie meant nothing if no one's heart truly felt joyous. _I need to get out to Haven and stop Cinder and everyone who is working with her!_

Stepping out onto the dirt path, she heard someone else step outside behind her. "What are you thinking, Ruby?"

 _I'm not sure you'd like what I'm thinking about... Maybe I can mention the situation with Yang..._ "I miss my sister."

"Didn't you visit her a minute ago?"

Ruby gave her friend a look, "I miss _who_ my sister was before the Battle. I miss sharing a room with her; it feels wrong seeing her broken and far away!" _I'm tired of seeing the yellow sheets on the bed beside mine untouched._

Sapphire eyes lit up with a look of understanding, "I see."

"I can't get close without worrying she'll snap at me. I can't stand seeing her or Pyrrha lying in their beds the way they are!" _Injured, broken..._

Jaune wondered idly as he crossed his arms. "Are you going to to something about all this?"

"I don't know, I'm not able to do much." _Yes, I am doing something utterly stupid and downright dangerous._

Nodding, the blond exhaled. "Are you sure?"

"I guess... Have you seen Weiss or Blake today?" Ruby relaxed her muscles, staring out into the vast woods ahead.

"Last I saw, they were spending time with Ren and Nora. Blake's recovering pretty well for someone who got stabbed in the gut."

The younger teen hummed, "My friends are strong and so are yours." _I won't stand to see their strength taken from them too._

 _No matter what the cost is, I_ will _stop Cinder and protect my friends!_

* * *

 **Months Later: Jaune  
**

Making his way through the halls, Jaune peered into Pyrrha's room. Bright emerald pools greeted him. Smiling, the blond entered the room and quietly shut the door behind him. He went over to his partner's side. Pyrrha lowered the book she was reading and met Jaune's eyes. _Man, I am_ so _glad to see her awake._ The blond leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. _Granted, she's been waking up for the past two weeks._

Pyrrha's face flushed. "Jaune!"

"Morning, Pyr. How are you feeling today?" The young man continued to smile at the redhead.

Shaking her head, Pyrrha smiled up at him. "I'm getting better every day, it seems. However, I won't be able to fight for quite some time..."

"With everything _you_ went through, I'd be done with fighting for a while."

She nodded and then gestured to her book. "Blake stopped by not too long ago to give me a book, but I was sleeping. If you see her, could you thank her for me?"

"No problem," Jaune nodded before he took a seat beside her bed. _I think we should talk._

Taking her hand in his, much like he did months ago, Jaune stared into Pyrrha's eyes. _How do I put my words together?_ She stared right back, concern pooling in her eyes. He could tell she wanted to ask what he was thinking or if something was wrong. Thankfully, Pyrrha decided to wait for him to reveal his thoughts. _I can't believe I almost lost you..._ He felt tears fall down his cheeks. Quick to react, the redhead gently wiped his tears away with her free hand and held it against his cheek.

"Pyrrha, I know you wanted to protect me and everyone else back at the Battle of Beacon." Jaune felt Pyrrha tighten her grip on his hand. "But I never want you to do that to me ever again."

"Jaune..."

"Please!" The blond continued, "I care about you a lot, too! So don't ever send me away when you're in trouble. We're _partners_ , Pyr. I'd rather fight by your side than run away and leave you by yourself. It _killed_ me to wait for you to get out of surgery to remove the shards of Cinder's glass arrow. I felt so helpless, staying here day-after-day with you lying so still in bed. I was so _worried_ , Pyr. I..."

Tears filled Pyrrha's eyes as she pulled him into an embrace. "I...I'm sorry that you had to go through all that. I never meant for you to get hurt while I recovered."

"Better to wait for you to get better than for you to never return." Jaune wrapped his arm around her and held her close.

The two teens remained in their embrace for a long time. Jaune wished for the moment to last for as long as it could. A moment where he knew Pyrrha was safe, simply because she lived and breathed so close to him. _I...I could've missed out on this moment. If it weren't for Ruby's intervention..._ The blond tightened his grip around Pyrrha.

 **Click.** He felt Pyrrha shift under him to look at her newest visitor. "Hello Ruby! Are you done with your 'pet project?'"

"Yeah... Anyway, I just wanted to check in on you. I can leave if you want." An awkward cough. "I'd...uh...hate to interrupt."

Jaune pulled away from Pyrrha to face Ruby. "No, it's alright. We're...we just finished up having a much needed heart-to-heart."

"Ah..." Ruby's eyes glinted. "It's about time."

"What?" The blond blinked and furrowed his brow. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing." Giggling, the younger teen shook her head. "I wanted to let you guys know that I'm so glad that I got to learn and fight alongside you. No matter what happens from here on out, I promise you, we'll be friends."

"Ruby, where is all this coming from?" _Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?_

The girl shrugged her shoulders with a small smile, "I mean...with everyone focused on rebuilding and warding off wandering Grimm, it's going to be difficult to spend a lot of time together. Huntsmen and huntresses are needed on the outskirts and beyond; former students are patrolling the edges of civilization... We might get separated for a while."

 _I want to believe you but..._ "Have _you_ been called away?"

"I can't tell you guys too much." Ruby smiled sadly. "But, I _do_ have a plan for us to keep in contact with each other."

"What do you have in mind?" Pyrrha wondered, her eyes curiously following the younger teen's movements.

Slowly, Ruby pulled out her scroll from her belt with a grin. Jaune and Pyrrha shared a look. _The CCT is down; there's no point in using scrolls now. No one can get a word in or out of Vale; heck, all of Remnant's probably gone dark with communications with how they set up the towers._ He sent his young friend a pitying smile. _Always the hopeful one, that Ruby..._ Jaune moved to say something, only to see Ruby dialing a number.

 **Riing...riiing...**

Silence filled the room for a good while before the blond knight broke it as he answered his scroll. "W-what?!"

"Well, you guys know how I like tinkering with weapons, right?" Ruby grinned before hanging up. "I spent all the down time we had finding out as much as I could about the CCT and how it worked. Luckily, the library was still standing from the attack. Plus, as much as I'd like to use radios with my friends, a video call every once in a while might be nice."

"But, that can't be possible... Only in a matter of months you created something that took years to engineer?" The Mistralan in the room questioned.

"You'd be surprised at what I can create, given the right supplies and enough information. However, the set-up I created is on a much smaller scale. It only reaches to about five miles out, at least that's how far I tested it. Thankfully, it won't use up as much Dust since I wanted to get it working on solar power."

Jaune frowned at his friend and crossed his arms. _There's more to it, isn't there?_ He shared a look with Pyrrha once again. The idea of how quickly they fell into such a routine nearly brought a smile to Jaune's face, if not for the circumstances. The redhead nodded at him, a look of understanding in her eyes. He returned the nod and gazed at Ruby once more. _She's planning something, and I need to find out before it's too late._

Scooting towards the door, Ruby bowed her head. "I'd better get going. There are somethings I need to do. Have a nice day, guys."

* * *

 **Sometime Later...  
**

Walking through the halls of Yang and Ruby's house, Jaune approached Ruby's door. As he neared it, he heard hushed voices from within. _Maybe I'll hear something useful._ Taking a deep breath, the young man glanced down either side of the hallway. _All clear._ Quickly, Jaune pressed his ear against the door and strained to hear the conversation.

 _"You know, kid, Oz told me a lot of things about destiny in the past... I never cared much for it until I got older. We're not supposed to screw with things like this."_

 _"If I didn't do something, Pyrrha wouldn't have made it!"_

 _"You really don't know how this works, do you?"_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Destiny works like a balancing scale; remember the statue of the blind lady who holds a balancing scale by courthouses on TV?"_

 _"Scales like that? Yeah."_

 _"If you change one thing, something else_ must _happen to balance the world's destiny. You saved your friend, so..."_

 _"So...?"_

 _"You're going to have to deal with the consequences of your actions, both good and bad outcomes. Are you willing to pay the price of changing destiny?"_

 _"No matter what the costs."_

 _"Someone is going to_ have _to die."_

 _"I know."_

Jaune pulled away from the door. A feeling of foreboding settled in the pit of his stomach. _Someone_ has _to die?_ He backed away from the door and hurried away. _Who? If Pyrrha was saved from her destiny... Who will pay the price?_ His mind swirled with too many thoughts. Balling his hands into fists, the blond knight purposefully made his way to Pyrrha's room. _She'll understand my decision, I hope._ Jaune inhaled shakily and unevenly breathed out as he stopped in front of his partner's door. _I swore that she won't get hurt again. If this is the only way to keep that promise..._

 _I'll follow Ruby's lead into Hell and back._

* * *

 **Alternate Scene: It's a code!**

Jaune didn't know how to react as Ruby pulled out a strange device from her belt. He stared at it for good while before looking to Pyrrha for assistance. Unfortunately for him, even the champion seemed stumped. Meanwhile, Ruby placed the device on a nearby table and began messing with it. She looked to her friends with a glint in her eyes.

"All we have to do is create stations between long distances, have a bunch of wire and voila! Well, I'm sure there's more to it, but that's the basics of this."

"Uh..." Jaune scratched the back of his head. _What the heck_ is _this thing?_

Ruby tapped on the machine's mechanism. A series of sounds and pauses, long and short, followed shortly after. The young girl used the machine with excitement in her eyes, while Jaune and Pyrrha regarded it with suspicion.

* * *

 **Here's the Arkos ending. I can only hope that it satisfied some of you.  
**

 **My justification for Ruby's invention: I believe she's smarter than many people take her for. I mean, some people are better in certain areas than others; plus, she seemed to have a knack for engineering things. Take Crescent Rose for example. I'll admit it's a stretch, but come on. Cliche power equals meh. Ruby's engineering prowess being used equals an interesting outcome.  
**

 **Of course, that's only an opinion. Stay tuned for the Victory Rose Ending in the future.**

 **Thank you for reading, adding this to your favorites and for following!**


	3. A Dreamer Plagued by Nightmares

**Warnings: Some Language, HEAVY Canon Breaking/ AU**

 **This version takes place months after the Battle, rather than starting a few weeks after. Victory Rose is also pre-established in this version.  
**

* * *

 _A pure, simple soul._

 _That is all you need,_

 _To achieve your goal._

 _Take heed:_

 _You will suffer sorrow,_

 _Your mind will falter knowing,_

 _Nothing will be alright tomorrow._

 _So learn to fear the shadows growing._

 _Your heart and soul will fail to cope._

 _When Remnant is at its lowest and in need,_

 _You will give away all your hope,_

 _Your heart will bleed,_

 _No hope will remain for you._

 _You'll give away all your love._

 _There is nothing you can do,_

 _When darkness rains from above._

 _All your dreams will fade,_

 _Your eyes will refuse to shine,_

 _None shall come to your aid,_

 _The world will be mine._

* * *

 **A Dreamer Plagued by Nightmares**

 **Ruby**

With a groan, Ruby lifted herself off of the ground only to manage to get on her knees. _Ugh, I hurt_ all _over..._ She blearily stared up at Beacon's Clock Tower. _W-what?_ Slowly, the red-cloaked girl struggled on to her feet. _I thought it was over..._ Ruby grasped her side as she staggered towards the tower. She stumbled onto her knees, the aching in her muscles far too much for her to handle at the moment. _Was it...was it all a dream? Is Pyrrha not..._ Ruby's eyes widened; she painfully sped towards the tower's side. _Pyrrha!_

She whipped around, looking for her white-haired partner. "Weiss! I _need_ to get up there!"

All around her, Ruby saw creatures of Grimm roam free. The Grimm remained unchallenged as they struck down students who failed to reach the air docks. _Holy snickerdoodles..._ As she spun around in search of her partner, Ruby felt the pain in her body reach new heights. She cried out in pain and collapsed on to the cold, stone floor. Ruby weakly lifted her head and searched her surroundings. _Please,_ please _, be okay, Weiss. I can't lose anymore friends because of Cinder..._

"Weiss?! Where are you? Weiss!" Tears pricked at the corners of Ruby's eyes as she lied helpless on the ground. "WEISS?!"

 _If she's dead...if either of my friends die..._ Choking on her sobs, the red-cloaked teen forced herself back on to her feet. _My heart won't stand it...it can't..._ **Shhiing! Whhoooosh.** Ruby's eyes widened at the sight of multiple, familiar glyphs forming on the side of the clock tower. She turned around to see her partner standing right behind her. _W-when did she get there? I looked everywhere..._ Weiss wore an encouraging smile as she ushered her towards the tower.

"Go!" The heiress prepared her rapier and eyed the Grimm slowly circling around them. "I can handle things down here."

"Stay safe, Weiss. I'll be back before you know it." Ruby nodded gratefully before she made her ascent. _I won't let anyone down._

In the blink of an eye, Ruby found herself standing a few feet away from Pyrrha and Cinder. _Whoa, how did I get here so fast?_ Once again, the fire witch held Pyrrha at her mercy. One arrow away from executing the champion. _Focus, Ruby, focus!_ She shook herself from her confusion and focused on her friend. _Don't worry, Pyrrha, I'm going to-!_ **Twang!** A pained gasp left the champion's lips. Ruby fell on her knees, tears pooling in her eyes.

"PYRRHA!"

Cinder slowly turned towards the young girl, a smug smirk rested on her features, "You poor, poor, child. Did you _really_ think that being a hero is all that it's cracked up to be?"

Wiping away her tears, Ruby stood up on her feet. "Pyrrha...Pyr..." _She killed my...she_ murdered _my..._

"Come now, child," The woman raised her bow and aimed it at the emotionally broken teen. "Look me in the eyes, so that your pain will go away."

"Y-you _murdered_ Pyrrha!" Dashing forward, the silver-eyed teen unfolded her scythe and swung at the woman's side.

Cinder simply side-stepped around the teen and summoned her glass swords. She rushed towards the teen and kicked her in the side. Ruby instantly crumbled and slid across the floor; she remembered the pain in her body and it increased tenfold. Screaming out in pain, the young girl writhed on the ground. _W-why...why does...does everything hurt?!_ **Click-clack-clack, click-clack-clack.** Cinder loomed over the girl with a malicious glint in her eyes.

She lifted Ruby off of the ground, as she took on a different appearance. Ruby stared up at the pale woman with white hair and evil, glowing red eyes. The mystery woman held Ruby over the edge of the ruined clock tower. She forced the teen to stare down towards her partner, fighting all alone. Ruby opened her mouth to scream out a warning for her friend. _Run, Weiss, run! Don't wait for me; please don't, I've failed. I've failed horribly!_ Any sound she attempted to make got caught in her throat. Behind her, she heard the mystery woman laugh at her, even her voice differed from that of Cinder's.

"Child, I hope you watch closely." Ruby felt the woman's hold on her neck tighten, "Just like the Wizard, you'll watch _everything_ you love die. Fitting, isn't it? Love is such a fickle thing; it's better off to let the notion burn into ashes."

The teen struggled in the woman's grasp. "I-I d-don't...believe..."

Suddenly, the mystery woman jerked Ruby's head in the direction of her partner. The white-clad teen's attacks became slower and slower as time went on. Her area of movement grew smaller and smaller as the creatures of Grimm began gathering around her. _No, no, no, no, no! D-don't make me watch this! Please, no!_ As if hearing her pleas, the woman did something with her arm. Whatever it was, it brought Ruby and the woman closer to the scene.

"Watch _closely_ , child. This is the cost of your 'heroism.'"

Ruby struggled in the woman's grasp. She grunted, flailed her legs, and shed hot, angry tears. No matter what she did, Ruby could not break free. _No! Weiss, run! Get out of here! RUN AWAY!_ To Ruby's horror, everything slowed down. The mystery woman shoved her closer to the battle, allowing Ruby to see her partner's face. _No, no, no, no!_ Her heartbeat pounded against her chest and rang loud in her ears.

 **Ba-dum, pause.**

 _WEISS! USE YOUR GLYPHS TO GET OUT!_

 **Ba-dum, pause.**

Weiss turned to face her partner; a mix of emotions flashed on her features: shock, concern, anger, _fear_.

 **Ba-dum, pause.**

Finally, Ruby mustered enough strength to hoarsely cry out to her friend. "GET OUT OF HERE! RUN!"

 **Ba-dum, pause.**

The heiress reached her hand out in vain towards her leader.

 **Ba-dum, pause.**

All at once, the Grimm surrounding Weiss leaped for the center.

 **Ba-dum, pause.**

Ruby watched helplessly as her best friend became engulfed in a sea of black and white.

 **Ba-dum, pause.**

 _First Penny..._

 **Ba-dum, pause.**

 _Then Pyrrha..._

 **Ba-dum, pause.**

 _Now Weiss..._

The woman dropped Ruby on to her knees, and then yanked her head up by the hair. _Everyone I care for is dead or dying._ Teary silver eyes gazed into calm red pools. Stroking Ruby's cheek with a clawed finger, the pale, white-haired woman smirked down at her prey. Her free hand clutched the girl's neck as the other hand released the teen's hair. _It's over... My friend is broken to pieces... My partner's dead... My sister is possibly dying and so is Blake... My other friends are injured... My...my girlfriend is dead too... It's all over... I failed._

"Looks like the dreamer meets a hero's end." Placing a hand to the girl's head, the mystery woman darkly laughed, "Just like those foolish fairy tales..."

 **Fwoosh!**

As a fire erupted from the woman's hand, Ruby screamed in pain to the heavens.

* * *

Gasping for air, Ruby bolted upright from her seated position. _W-what on Remnant was that?!_ Her eyes immediately focused on the redhead resting in the bed in front of her. _W-was...was it..._ Tears pooled in her eyes as she stared at Pyrrha. _Was it all a bad dream? I made it to the tower in time?_ Feeling something warm in her hands, Ruby looked down on the bedside to see her hands clasped around Pyrrha's limp hand. She dropped her head down against the bedside; tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

The sound of shuffling caught Ruby's ears. "R-Ruby?"

"P-Pyrrha..." Hiccuping through her tears, the young teen gazed at the wounded champion. "I-I'm s-sorry. I d-didn't mean t-to wake y-you up."

Rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes, Pyrrha shook her head and sat up. "No, it's alright, Ruby. Will you tell me what's wrong?"

"I d-dreamed a-about something a-awful, Pyr..." Ruby tiredly wiped her tears away. "I-I didn't m-make it t-to y-you in t-time and W-Weiss d-died t-too..."

"It was only a dream, Dearest." The redhead murmured as she pulled the red-cloaked girl into an embrace. "I'm right here; I'm alright. Weiss is okay. Everyone's alive."

Clutching on to her girlfriend for dear life, the red-cloaked girl continued to sob. Her shoulders shuddered, her breath hitched every once in a while, and her thoughts continued to delve into dark what-ifs. _Please, please... Let it all be a dream. Please, let everyone still be alive._ All the while, Pyrrha held on to the crying girl with quiet utterances of how she was okay and that everyone made it out of Beacon alive.

"I thought I lost you guys..."

* * *

 **Jaune**

Sitting in the family room with his two other teammates, the blond furiously tapped on the controller in his hands. _I'm not going to be beat_ this _time!_ His game avatar ducked beneath his opponent's attack. Nora growled lowly and sent her character flying into the air. Her character slammed her palm into the floor, splintered the rock and sent Jaune's avatar sailing through the air and a few stone walls. _No, I_ can't _lose to her in this game! She already beat me in Theater of War V!_

"Ragna smash!" Nora cried out enthusiastically as she pressed a series of buttons in succession.

Jaune quickly maneuvered his character out of Ragna's path. "Sir Argent won't fall here!"

After successfully inputting the correct commands, Sir Argent raised his bow and arrow to the sky. He shouted something into the air as a holy light bathed the arena. Ragna shouted her displeasure before she dashed forward. The warrior raised her claymore but a large arrow of light landed in her path. She stopped and looked to the skies. Sir Argent mocked the warrior woman and swung his right arm down. Within moments, a shower of holy arrows rained down upon the warrior woman and struck her dead.

Letting out a whoop of celebration, Jaune placed his controller and stood up. Meanwhile, he watched as Nora dropped her controller and gripped the sides of her head. She dramatically flopped to the side and mourned the loss of her character. Ren simply looked down at her from his book with a shake of his head. _Do they realize what position they're in?_ Suddenly, Nora's eyes widened comically. She sat up, thus removing her back from Ren's lap. For his part, Ren simply went back to reading his book; a tinge of pink highlighted his cheeks. _These two..._

"I finally beat you at a video game, Nora! Apparently you weren't as good as you thought in _Fury Asylum_."

Huffing, the small berserker crossed her arms. "At least I didn't fail miserably in _Aura Blade_!"

"That's not fair! It's not _my_ fault that Daydream's controls are weird!"

"Pfft," Nora scoffed and made a wild gesture. "Daydream doesn't know how to wield the Fringe at all. At least Aeron knows the Caladbolg's true power."

 _Not this again..._ Jaune threw his hands up, "Aren't they the same sword?"

"Please, stop arguing about your games." Ren sighed as he turned a page in his book. "It's quite distracting."

"But, _Ren_ , this is serious business!"

Chuckling, Jaune quietly shut off the X-station 720 before he left the room. _Well, that was an interesting team bonding session._ He whistled a tune to himself as he walked through the hall. _We didn't break anything this time too. I'll count that as a success._ _Plus, it kept our minds off of..._ The blond came to a stop right in front of his partner's room. _I hope Ruby didn't fall asleep in the chair again..._ He turned the knob of the door and slipped into the room. **Click.**

Glancing around the room, the blond's gaze fell upon Ruby and Pyrrha. The champion quietly conversed with her girlfriend, a worried expression on her features. Meanwhile, Ruby adjusted Pyrrha's covers and her pillow before poking at the flower vase on Pyrrha's bedside table. _Ever the devoted girlfriend..._ Jaune smiled internally, as he approached the younger teen. _I'm glad she and Pyrrha found something in each other._

"Hey, Ruby! Hey, Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha greeted him with a warm, friendly smile,"Hello again."

"Morning, Jaune!" Ruby's smile tugged at the edge of her lips, but Jaune could tell it was forced.

"Anything new today?"

The light in Ruby's eyes dimmed for a moment before they regained their luster. "Nothing new, but the doctor's sure that Pyrrha's heel is mending well enough."

"Yes, Dr. Oren visited a while ago to check on everyone, remember?" Pyrrha helpfully added as she sat up straighter. "Blake should be able to walk into the town with you sometime soon. Yang...I've heard that she'll recover physically but..."

Noticing the change in the red-cloaked girl's features, Jaune quickly changed the focus of the conversation, "Ah, right. Ren and Nora will be back in fighting condition in a matter of days. I've also heard word of our friends. Team CFVY is back in action and assisting in the city patrols, Team SSSN will stay in Vale until they can get hold of a transport, and the other teams from other academies are assisting in reconstruction."

* * *

 **Ruby**

Her gaze turned towards the window, Ruby settled into the chair beside the bed and tuned the two out. _Who was that woman in that dream? Why did it feel so real when she hurt me?_ She rubbed the back of her neck, wincing as her fingertips brushed against nonexistent bruises. Ruby vaguely registered the conversation between the others dying out. _That woman... Is...is_ she _the one who is behind everything?_

"Excuse me, I think...I think I should go visit Yang for a bit." Ruby fled from the room as fast as a limping person could go. _If she is and what happened in that dream meant anything... She'll take away everything I love._

Ignoring Pyrrha's soft calls for her to return, Ruby came to a stop right outside Yang's room. She peered inside to see her sister staring out the window. _Oh Sis..._ Hobbling her way in, the younger teen nervously rubbed her right elbow. _Will she talk to me today? Is she in a good mood?_ The red-cloaked girl eyed the window. _I_ need _to make every moment I have with my loved ones count..._ Ruby stood upright, clearing her throat.

Yang sent her a look, "..."

"Hey, Yang. I'm just checking up on you." Silver eyes gazed at the brand new vase of flowers on her sister's bedside table. "I planned on getting you flowers, but I assume the others managed to get a step ahead of me." _Look at me, please._

"..."

"Pyrrha's doing okay; still stuck in bed, but at least she's alive." _I don't know how long I'll stay here in Patch, Yang._

"..."

Looking at the floor, Ruby nodded to herself and slowly limped to the door. "I'd better leave you alone, huh?" _With my luck, it might be forever._

"..."

"Right," The younger teen half-heartedly smiled at the back of Yang's head. "We can talk some other time." _I hope that will be the case; us talking_ together _, rather than it be on me._

"..."

"I love you, Yang." _Remember that when I'm gone._

* * *

 **Days Later: Ruby**

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Ruby stared up at her Uncle Qrow. _This is it; everything I've done for the past few months will matter here._ He calmly stared back, his arms crossed neatly against his chest. _No matter what the cost is, I'm heading to Haven._ Qrow leaned his back against Ruby's desk, his eyes contemplating something. _I won't let anyone stop me; if I have to die for everyone else..._

Once Qrow cleared his throat, Ruby immediately focused on him. "These dreams of yours..."

"I _always_ see this pale woman with red eyes. I feel like...like she plays a bigger role than some nighttime terror." _I can't let her live._

"Chasing after ghosts is a dangerous thing to do, kiddo. Especially after you've screwed with destiny like you did."

Ruby narrowed her eyes; her fingers dug into her bed sheets. "I know I unbalanced things, but I'll fix it. No matter what."

"It isn't that simple, kid. We-"

"In order to balance the world's destiny, you said that someone had to die."

Qrow fell silent in an instant. His eyes flicked from the window, to Ruby, and then back at the door. _I know the stakes. After everything that happened at Beacon and the tournament..._ Determined silver eyes clashed violently with stern crimson orbs. _The stakes are high, but the worth of my friends' lives are much higher._ _I can't afford to be a child anymore._ Ruby flinched as her uncle approached her with a fire in his eye _s._

"Damn it! Are you _sure_ about this, kid?" His voice slightly wavered but retained its steely edge.

Meeting his gaze, the teen held her ground. "As sure as the day I chose to train with you."

"Of course, you're damn serious about this..." Frowning, the man nodded and swiftly left the room.

* * *

Walking down the hall, Ruby tinkered with the small device in her hands. _I can't stay here physically, but I_ can _do the best I can to stay in contact._ She stopped in front of Pyrrha's room and sighed. _Every moment needs to count..._ Upon opening the door, Ruby gazed upon Pyrrha's calm features. The older girl lost in her thoughts, which apparently floated in front of the window or maybe even beyond it. _I guess I'll surprise her then._ Darting forward, Ruby sneaked a kiss on her girlfriend's cheek. Her lips ghosted the corner of the Mistralan's mouth.

Pyrrha's shoulders jolted as she looked to the red-clad girl. "Ruby..."

"Don't use that tone with me, Pyr." Ruby winked as she settled into the chair beside the redhead's bed. "You love it when I surprise you."

"Perhaps, but I've noticed a pattern with you and your surprises." Pyrrha frowned as she sat a little straighter in bed. "It usually comes before some sort of news."

 _My dearest is so perceptive._ Torn between the smile tugging at her lips and the sinking feeling from what she needed to do, Ruby simply shrugged. "You're not wrong."

"And the news is?"

Ruby pulled out her scroll and waved it in front of Pyrrha. "I've managed to get enough research on the CCT from the library in town and in Vale. My version won't reach too far, but at least we can call each other and our friends in range with our scrolls again."

"Why would I need that if I can see you every day?" The redhead's eyes narrowed a tad bit.

 _Stay strong, Ruby._ Pyrrha continued to look at her with suspicion. _You do this out of love._ The redhead crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. _I can't afford to lose her again._ Sighing, the older teen patiently waited for Ruby's response. All the while, Ruby kept avoiding her girlfriend's eyes. _I can't... I won't..._ Silver clashed with emerald, at last. _Ah, crumble cakes..._

Taking a deep breath, Ruby gestured to her scroll. "With everything that's happened, the city of Vale and Patch asked for able-bodied, former students from Beacon to participate in Grimm patrols." _I might not see you for a while..._

"I see," The Mistralan tensed her muscles before releasing a heavy sigh. "That isn't everything, is it?"

 _Time to confess my plans, then._ "I'm headed for Haven."

Pyrrha's lips curled into a frown. Lines formed from worry appeared on her forehead. _Please, don't make this any more painful than it already is..._ The pained look in her girlfriend's eyes cause Ruby to pause. She sighed and sat beside Pyrrha. The older girl wrapped her arm around the younger teen's shoulders, holding her in a comfortable embrace. _If_ I _don't do this, someone else will pay the price. That doesn't sit well with me._

"Are you leaving without me?"

"I plan to set out next week."

Tightening her grip just a bit, Pyrrha exhaled sharply. "Can't you wait until I can go with you?"

"They've tried to kill you already, Pyr!" Ruby argued, hugging the older girl back. "I can't...I can't risk taking you with me."

"You'd rather risk your own life, then? Do you know how that makes _me_ feel?" The redhead's voice became harsher and harsher. "You're going to get hurt, and I won't be able to help you."

Sighing, Ruby remained silent as her girlfriend voiced all her concerns. She held the older girl as close as she could when Pyrrha began crying. _This will hurt everyone involved..._ Ruby closed her eyes, an image of a pale, white-haired woman with red eyes flashed behind her eyelids. She rested her head against Pyrrha's shoulder, opened her eyes, and turned her head to meet the champion's worried gaze. _B_ _ut, if I can limit the number of people close to me, who get hurt, then_ _I'll knock on the gates of Hell and walk through its fiery planes for eternity if I have to._

 _Their lives are worth more than my own._

* * *

 **Behold, the Victory Rose Ending!**

 **It's a lot longer than I intended for it to be; yet it didn't touch on everything I wanted it to. Actually, I planned on both endings to be rather extensive. Exploring some things and expanding on certain ideas. Perhaps I'll do an extended version of both endings in the future, if anyone would like to see it.**

 **Thank you, everyone who gave this story a chance, placed it in their favorites, and/or decided to follow it. I really appreciate it. I'll be posting an extra chapter with some notes I had on the endings and my final thoughts concerning the Volume Finale.**


	4. An Author's Thoughts

**Welcome back, dear readers. Sh-Vr here!**

 **Now, the reason for this chapter is to explain my reasoning behind "The Witch and The Saint." If that doesn't interest you, you have no obligation to stay and read this. Just know, that I appreciate the fact that you chose to read the actual story.**

* * *

 **Reasoning Behind "The Witch and The Saint" and Volume 3 Finale Thoughts**

 **When the Volume Finale came out to the public and I watched it, I felt a mix of emotions. As a person who loves characters and their developments, I was sad to see Pyrrha go. I hoped that RT would fool everyone and have Pyrrha leave the Battle of Beacon, rather than prove the theories of a "Pyrrhic Victory." However, the duel between Pyrrha and Cinder happened and we all saw the results.**

 **After the result of the battle, I wanted to do what I normally did after certain events happened in canon. I like to write alternate takes on the RWBY reality, exploring a different path. Unfortunately, I cannot do canon characters justice. They deviate from their canonical personalities in my stories, but it's how I write. As much as I'd love to switch certain characters around, I wanted to focus mainly on Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ruby. Jaune became a focus because of the Arkos ship and because I felt that his feelings deserve to be explored in some way. Pyrrha is a focus for obvious reasons. Ruby plays a part because of her witnessing the events on top of the Clock Tower and because I took a liking to the Victory Rose pairing.**

 **Don't get me wrong, I enjoy almost all of the characters shown in RWBY. I simply tend to focus on some characters more than others.**

 **Back to the reasoning, I created it with the intention of helping me process what happened in canon. I never expected people to like it as much as they did. I thought, in my selfish portrayal of these alternate events, I might offend people for changing Monty's plans for his show. However, writing is one of the many ways I process certain things. And as I finished my story, I finally came to terms with everything.**

 **From a writer's standpoint, this is a huge, important turning point for everything. Characters will be challenged, are revealed to be susceptible to _anything_ , and the main team is now disbanded. All of this allows for so much more of the RWBY universe to be explored. With Weiss away in Atlas, we'll get to see how her relationship with her father goes. With RNJR, LANR, or LAVR (or whatever you want to call it), we'll get to see Mistral. Blake's off on her own and Yang's wallowing for a while, but that's okay for now! Character development, guys. Our beloved characters will grow in ways we probably never thought of before, and then give us more reason to love them.**

 **From a fan's standpoint, Pyrrha's end will be a sorrowful thing to think of but she'll never be forgotten for who she was.**

* * *

 **As for the actual story itself, I planned for chapters that could've spanned 6,000+ words. Both endings could have taken two, three, or more parts to them. However, they could've gone beyond what I intended. I changed certain events so that the cast could remain together in this AU simply to cope.**

 **I wished to explore interactions between the characters more than I did. Scenes such as Ren and Nora shenanigans, Blake and Yang moments where Blake was forced to be more talkative this time around... Family moments for Yang, Qrow, Taiyang, and Ruby, a scene exploring why Taiyang gave Qrow that weird look, more nightmare sequences for the Victory Rose ending where Ruby sees more of Salem, which leads her to believe something more sinister is happening...  
**

 **I wanted for a lot to happen. Perhaps it could've been too much. We'll never know at the moment.**

 **As for the little poems at the beginning of each chapter:**

 **The Witch and The Saint - I imagined Cinder telling this to Ruby or Pyrrha because of how I worded it. A villain's moment of hurrah over our beloved hero, ominously warning the hero of the price of heroism.**

 **The Heart of a Would-Be Hero - I imagined this from Jaune's point-of-view. After Pyrrha is saved and Jaune realizes how much she means to him, he vows to do what it takes to protect her as repayment for her protecting him. He does this out of the care her feels for her.**

 **In my personal opinion, love takes time to blossom. Jaune _just_ realized that he cared for Pyrrha more than just a friend. He needs a bit more time to process all these feelings.**

 **A Dreamer Plagued by Nightmares - The poem here is Salem speaking to Ruby about how the world will be saved by a simple soul. However, Salem views Ruby as a rather weak person and gives her a dark warning.**

 **The titles for each chapter were named as such due to how I wrote the chapters and for a few other reasons. I'm currently on the mindset where one finishes a chapter before naming it. The first chapter is named as it was because I listened to "The Witch and the Saint" by Steven Reineke while writing it. The Witch being Cinder and/or Salem, while Jaune and Ruby have the potential to be the Saint. Only one of them, of course.** ** **In fact, the whole story followed the name because of a story idea I had that _might_ follow after this. ****

****The Heart of a Would-Be Hero became named as such due to Jaune not yet rising to the status of a hero. However, his heart is in the right place and he is more than willing to rise to the challenge.****

 ** **A Dreamer Plagued by Nightmares became as such because in canon, Ruby is a dreamer. She dreams of becoming a hero and slaying Grimm. However, Salem changes all those sweet dreams into nightmares; thus, Ruby is even further driven to seek the Witch out and end her plots.****

 ** **Thank you for taking the time to wade through all this text to read my thoughts on the story. Thank you for reading the story at all.****

* * *

 ** **WARNING: VIOLENCE and BLOOD  
****

* * *

 ** **The Savior and The Sacrifice  
****

Standing beside her friends, Ruby fell into a fighting stance. **Shing!** Jaune readied his sword and shield, the pain he endured earlier now forgotten. Ren prepared his guns with a calm exhale. Nora narrowed her eyes and slung her hammer over her shoulder, determined to knock the witch down from her pedestal. Ruby nodded and launched forward, intending to strike out at the woman only to be knocked back by a man clad in black and red.

The man's sword and hair glowed with an evil energy. Jaune rushed to his friend's side and helped her up. The masked man grunted and sheathed his blade. Without warning, members of the White Fang flooded into the building. Their appearance forced Ren and Nora to separate from the others. Above everything else, Ruby heard a crow caw.

"Your interference ends here!" The man dropped into a stance and motioned for one of the two to attack him.

Ruby and Jaune shared a look. Silver quietly questioned sapphire. Both pairs of eyes reflected unwavering determination, a reminder of the reason why they pushed so hard to get there. They nodded, running forward in synchronized movement. Ruby raised Crescent Rose to slice at the man's shoulder, while Jaune aimed his slash towards the man's abdomen.

 **SHLICK!** **SHOOM!**

A cry of pain.

 **Psshhtt.**

Dark red liquid splattered on the floor as one body collapsed...

* * *

 **Consider the above excerpt a bonus for bothering to look at this chapter. Once again, thank you, dear readers.**


End file.
